A motion to create online instructions for residents on what to do during a boil water advisory (BWA) has been passed by council, despite an objection from Chatham-Kent’s General Manager of Health And Human Services.
Councillor Jamie McGrail said she wanted residents to be able to find a fact sheet so when a BWA is implemented, there is a resource people in the affected area can access easily.
“We need to set expectations with boil water advisories,” said McGrail. “And after the boil water advisory is rescinded, we need to address what is next.”
Through her motion, McGrail hopes to alleviate the number of phone calls with questions about a BWA.
While General Manager of Health and Human Services Jodi Guilmette said she was in favour of keeping the public informed with clear and concise messaging, she didn’t agree with the motion’s use of the word “timeline.”
“We are not able to provide detailed timelines because of all of the different conditions that could potentially impact when we might be able to rescind that BWA. We are able to provide information about process. However, because every situation is different, we are not able to provide details in terms of timeline,” explained Guilmette.
McGrail agreed with changing the wording to something that could manage expectations on the duration of an advisory.
Council voted unanimously in favour of the fact sheet, although there’s no word on when it will be available to the public.
